Suzan Ball

Suzan Ball (born Susan Ball; February 3, 1933 – August 5, 1955) was an American actress. She was a second cousin of fellow actress Lucille Ball. She was married to actor Richard Long. She had her leg amputated in January 1954, as a result of both a tumor and an accident she had. She died at age 22 of cancer in 1955, after a two-year battle.

Early life

Born in Buffalo, New York, Ball was the eldest daughter of Howard Dale Ball and Marleah Francis O'Leary. When she was 5, the family moved to Miami and, shortly thereafter, Kenmore, New York. In 1946 they moved to North Hollywood, where, in June 1951, Ball graduated from North Hollywood High.

Personal life

Ball married Richard Long on April 11, 1954, at El Montecito Presbyterian Church in Santa Barbara. Among the 100-plus guests in attendance were fellow UI luminaries Jeff Chandler, Barbara Rush, Rock Hudson, Lori Nelson, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, David Janssen, Julie Adams, Hugh O'Brien, Mala Powers, and Mary Castle.

Illness and death

In 1953, doctors diagnosed Ball with cancer when she developed tumors on her right leg, forcing her to use crutches. Because of the cancer, doctors amputated her right leg on January 12, 1954. On August 5, 1955, five days after having being released from the City of Hope National Medical Center following more than three weeks of unsuccessful treatment, Ball, at age 22, died at 4:35 P.M. at her home in Beverly Hills.

She is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Dick Powell and June Allyson co-chaired the establishment of the Suzan Ball Memorial Fund in March 1956. Ten other entertainers and two states' governors co-sponsored the effort to raise $1 million via a national fund drive for "increasing facilities for a cancer center" under the auspices of City of Hope Medical Center.

Filmography

References

External links

• Suzan Ball at IMDb